National Guardsmen wins new car, then does something totally crazy

Published: Thursday, May 8, 2014 at 05:47 PM.

When Jacob Thomas joined his fellow Army National Guard soldiers in a recent OneBlood.org drive in Panama City, he never expected to win a new car.

But that’s exactly what happened to the 30-year-old platoon sergeant.

“I won a 2014 Kia Soul,” said Thomas, who works at Amavida Coffee in Santa Rosa Beach. “It was alien green ... pretty sharp.”

What the National Guardsman did next was even more unexpected.

He gave it away.

Thomas presented the car to his platoon sergeant William McNeil, a close friend who is struggling to beat his second round of leukemia.

“We are good friends. We have a lot of history,” he said. “We have the same weird sense of humor. We find the same things hilarious.”

The decision was easy, he said.

“He needs it more than I do,” said Thomas, who bought a 2007 Mustang GT about six months ago. “He’s being treated at Shands in Gainesville, and he lives up in Bonifay. I was like, damn, that’s a long drive.”

The Kia gets much better gas mileage than McNeil’s old truck and will allow him and his wife to take their two young sons with them, Thomas said.

“That whole set up was a lot more beneficial than anything else I could have done,” he added.

Although McNeil wanted to pay him something for the car, Thomas insisted it be a gift with no strings attached.

The McNeils drove their new Kia to Shands Hospital Wednesday night and have been sending photos to their friend.

“I’m still riding the high,” Thomas said. “It feels great to help them, it really does.”

When Jacob Thomas joined his fellow Army National Guard soldiers in a recent OneBlood.org drive in Panama City, he never expected to win a new car.

But that’s exactly what happened to the 30-year-old platoon sergeant.

“I won a 2014 Kia Soul,” said Thomas, who works at Amavida Coffee in Santa Rosa Beach. “It was alien green ... pretty sharp.”

What the National Guardsman did next was even more unexpected.

He gave it away.

Thomas presented the car to his platoon sergeant William McNeil, a close friend who is struggling to beat his second round of leukemia.

“We are good friends. We have a lot of history,” he said. “We have the same weird sense of humor. We find the same things hilarious.”

The decision was easy, he said.

“He needs it more than I do,” said Thomas, who bought a 2007 Mustang GT about six months ago. “He’s being treated at Shands in Gainesville, and he lives up in Bonifay. I was like, damn, that’s a long drive.”

The Kia gets much better gas mileage than McNeil’s old truck and will allow him and his wife to take their two young sons with them, Thomas said.

“That whole set up was a lot more beneficial than anything else I could have done,” he added.

Although McNeil wanted to pay him something for the car, Thomas insisted it be a gift with no strings attached.

The McNeils drove their new Kia to Shands Hospital Wednesday night and have been sending photos to their friend.

“I’m still riding the high,” Thomas said. “It feels great to help them, it really does.”